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In Grand Marais: The Angry Trout Café (thank you cmcfong!) was so completely delicious, I did NOT want to leave. My DH had the Grilled Herring and it was to die for. The Trout Chowder a delight. I had the Alaskan Cod, which of course was not local, but it was the BEST I have ever had. The salads and the spinach fettuccini, too wonderful. The atmosphere is casual & relaxed, you may dine inside or out, both overlook the harbor. Their specialty is Lake Superior fish caught by local commercial fishermen. The owners are environmentalists and it is their intent to ‘practice what they preach’ in everything from the first ingredient to the table you sit at. It was wonderful and I highly recommend it. Only caveat: This little gem is only open from mid-May to mid-October

A hearty morning breakfast and great service from Jerry at the Blue Water Café (also in Grand Marais) was fantastic. The pancakes and syrup were superb. My DH’s Eggs Benedict great. Again the service from Jerry was a treat, what a delightful gentleman.

In Lutsen: at the Mountain View Lodge, Tracks, will provide great service and a hearty meal. Everything from burgers to steaks, and everything was very good. Comfort food.

So funny how simple pleasures such as pancakes and pizza could be so pleasing! Simple foods done very well. I think the thing that impresses us most is that businesses like Coho and the Angry Trout try their best to support local vendors. It shows, the ingredients are so fresh and the taste so distinct, I wish more restaurants followed this practice.

We have been to the North Shores of Lake Superior several times before and always fall in love with it all over again.

The trip began with gridlock traffic out of the cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was the expected holiday traffic, so whatever heather, right?!? We're together, we're heading out of town, so be it!

We decided this time to bring our 15 month old mini schnoodle (half mini schnauzer, half mini poodle) with us this time and are SO glad we did. The North Shore area is very dog friendly. We saw so many people with pets. It is funny that the previous times we really didn't notice all the pets, probably because we weren't pet owners ourselves at the time, so we kind of thought we were taking a chance bringing her with us this time. All worked out well, and we were happy with our decision.

The accommodations had many good and a couple bad points. The good first, the view was outstanding. Sitting upon a 40 cliff, all of Lake Superior and her glory. Lovely, beautiful, peaceful, private and very relaxing. A little creek flowing on the property into Lake Superior. Large, massive sunning rocks that you can walk down to from above to sit and enjoy a closer look. Bed comfortable, linens very clean. The woodwork quite lovely. Heating system worked quite well and warm us up fast (yes, we did have to have the heat on, lol). Two bedrooms, one quite large that couple have slept a family with it’s large pine bunk beds, second bed and sofa. Additional room that we slept in; comfortable and cozy. Front porch that had sleeping area for maybe two more people, but no heat in that area of the home.
Bad points, and really I can only think of a couple… This to me was a cabin, not a home. It was very, very rustic. Cob webs here and there. D-con under the sink. Little evidence that creatures both small and a little larger had been ‘guests’ as well, lol. In their “welcome book” they spoke of the mice issue and that is was the “way of the shore” so to expect it, but we have never encountered this on previous visits. It was our feeling that they were a titch overpriced. It was to me “camping indoors”. And it was very nice, mind you, but it was camping indoors. I thought it to be in the more $150 range rather than the $250-$300 range. And we have been lucky enough to stay in everything from small and tasteful to quite extravagant and spendy so I feel I have a pretty good frame of reference on which to base my opinion. Everything on the website said, updated, updated, updated. I think perhaps “rustic” should have been used more, lol.
The only other thing was the electrical. It really worried my husband and he is not a worrier. Like for example: one outlet with many extension cords running all about everywhere. Cords hanging on the outside of the cabin, loosely dangling in the wind and rain. There was some cause for concern.

Would we stay there again, probably not. But again, we did have a nice time there and the view was gorgeous. I think if you are a large family or a couple families together and you don’t mind “rustic” then it would be a good fit.

Sights not to be missed:
The Cascade River (this was out first time to this one and it has to be now one of our favorites).

The Temperance River (as always breaktakingly beautiful)

(Gooseberry Falls & the Split Rock Lighthouse are two of our favorites, so I will mention them, though we took in other sights this time.)

Grand Marais: lovely, little, harborside town. Great food, great people. The Gun Flint Tavern, I will also mention from our previous visits, great food, although this time we just stopped by for a beverage. The Drury Lane Bookstore, quaint, darling, a must for any book lover, such as I.

The North Shore continues to be an area in which to be taken away. The thunderous power of the rivers flowing into Lake Superior, the gorges, the cliffs, the precious wildlife (as long as it's not in your cabin, lol). The great people. The great food. It really is a wonder, and we love it there.

I can't thank you enough for the restaurant rec of Angry Trout. We LOVED it there. I may have led you in right direction with regards to State Parks etc. but that restaurant recommendation was far beyond any tips I gave you! Well done!

The otters... alas we did not see them, in fact before we were seated, we wandered down the dock to look at this wonderful wooden sailboat, and I remembered your report and about the otters. I told my husband of your report, and we looked for them, but did not see them.

You are quite welcome. One good turn deserves another. We loved every minute of our trip and thanked you and the other two generous Fodorites who gave us such great information every step of the way. We will go back (and I most certainly will have the wild salmon at the Angry Trout again!!!).

Another comment: you mentioned how pizza and pancakes can be so pleasing. I couldn't agree more. Some of my best travel memories revolve around good meals. I still remember 15 years ago when DH and I went on a whim for a weekend in Memphis. We asked the hotel owner where to get good Italian food. They recommended a place called Giransanti's. When we got there, I had swordfish and DH had prime rib. Kinda funny, considering we went there specifically for Italian food. Whenever we think of that Memphis trip, the first thing we think of is that great food.

Yes, you are correct, this was a long weekend last year. However, we usually go up at least once a year, our next visit is in September, so I will add to this thread if anything new pops up!

If you are ever in the area, please do make the stop, it is SUCH a lovely place. One of my favorites things is that this is nature that is really within a stone's throw, meaning, even those that have a hard time getting around can see the beauty as most of these stops (The Cascade River and the Temperance River especially) are right off the main Highway. You don't have to hike many miles to see the beauty. You CAN hike further, but it is not a requirement.

P_M ~ You would love it there, we even look forward to donning the jeans and sweatshirts when we go. I thought I would miss the ocean forever until I saw Lake Superior. Same feeling, it is lovely. Please let me know if you ever have any specific questions, I would be happy to help!!!!

CAPH ~ Same for you sweetie, I would love to answer anything if you ever plan a visit!

Hi cmcfong ~ I am so glad you enjoyed your visit to the Shore. One of the reasons why I love this forum, is that DH and I have been there several times before but had never heard of The Angry Trout until YOU!!!!!! We needed that sweet North Carolina visitor to lead the way, LOL. Thank you again so much. We now (literally) plan our visits around the Trout. (They are only open mid-May to mid-October).

LOVE the food up there, maybe it is the great outdoors that makes everything taste so good!

Wow! I am so glad someone 'popped' this thread up to the top. I am trying to plan a long weekend in October to North Shore for my hubby and 2 boys. Anyone recommend any great books on the area? Thanks in advance!

We just got back from 3 weeks on the North Shore and the weather was fabulous. Not one day of rain and no bugs!! Amazing. Even out in the woods we didn't have any mosquitos. Locals are all amazed there were no mosquitos this summer. Maybe too dry and too warm. We saw a couple moose while up the Gunflint Trail and lots of deer. Everything is always so beautiful. Lots going on in Grand Marais with the Fisherman's Picnic on while we were there. We ate at all the restaurants in the Grand Marais area and up and down the shore and our very best meals were at Naniboujou about 15 miles north of Grand Marais on Lake Superior and at "The Landing" at Devils Track Lake. All other meals were good too but both my husband and I thought these two were outstanding. All in all a great trip.

Hi Tiff, Yes we did eat at the Angry Trout twice on this trip and we always like it but just liked the other two even more on this trip. Seems we went to every restaurant in the area and were not uhappy with any of our lunches and dinners. We were hoping to see the sea otters but no luck either time. Have you been to Chez Jude? We had both lunch and dinner there and also thought it was excellent. All in all a great trip.

Hi Tiff, It is right across the highway from Angry Trout in a bldg that looks like a house (it was a house at one time) and then became the bakery and is now Chez Jude. Very good and very nice. Both my husband and I enjoyed as did some friends who joined us for dinner there one night.

We had a very nice local fish meal at Naniboujou last summer, and it is a worthwhile dinner spot! Great history and fun to see the lodge. I was a wee bit disappointed you can't have a glass of wine with your meal; wine always adds to the evening and I miised it. I second Cali's recommendation! Chez Jude has been getting lots of buzz in local mags and the Mpls. paper and the reviews have been positive.

Hi AuntAnnie. We love Naniboujou too and had a great meal there this trip. It is so unique with so much history - I love it every trip and we have gone there for many years - since I was a child!!! I too would love to have a glass of wine with my meal but know they will never have any and they seem to do a good business without it. Oh I miss the North Shore already and we just got back. We are going back up over the Holidays - another season and still fun!!

As promised I will post a mini-update as we just returned from a beautiful weekend up at the Shore.

We like to stay at a different spot each time, and this time we stayed at Cove Point Lodge in Beaver Bay - www.covepointlodge.com . I don't know that we will keep our standard of trying a new spot with each journey after staying here. We loved it.

What did we like about it? It was immaculate. It had a very "lodgy" feel to it and it was just so clean.

It was very quiet.

The view was so beautiful. And the sound of the waves lulled us to sleep each night. All the rooms are lakefront.

The hotel staff were very pleasant.

We will stay here for our next visit, we truly loved it.

Happy to answer any questions!

We drove up last Thursday night, and the full moon on the water was breathtaking. With the light from the moon on the waves of the water, it looked as though there was a cobblestone path leading all the way across the lake to the moon. It was quite lovely.

We hit all of our usual haunts that we wait an entire year to see and I now already miss even though we were just there...

The CoHo in Tofte for the best pizza (not a crumb left).

The Gun Flint Tavern in Grand Marais always cozy and delicious.

And last but not least, The Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais www.angrytroutcafe.com did not fail to please yet again. I had one of their homemade fountain drinks this time as I had a titch of a headache and did not want it to increase with a glass of wine. It was a strawberry/lime fountain drink and it was delicious, I felt like a little kid drinking a Shirley Temple! Our meals were fabulous. Lake Trout with their lemon fettuccini that has freshly grate parmesan and toasted hazelnuts. THIS I remember from last year and could not wait. Their yummy homemade salad dressings with mixed greens. I could go on and on and on. We always wish we had room for dessert but haven't yet, perhaps we need to go twice next time! At end of the evening DH and I toasted our beloved Fodorite, cmcfong, for it took this little Carolina gal to lead us to this restaurant. We live three hours away and yet were unaware of it until cmcfong found it! Thanks dear friend! As we left, a couple approached us outside and said “How was it???” As I went on and on, I suddenly noticed my husband and her husband quietly smiling to themselves. She and I giggled , rambling on endlessly about the delicious items that we had just finished but were yet to be placed before them. They were delightful people, and had a passion for food, we understood each other, lol.

Each day we visited our favorite places. With the low rainfall the rivers were much lower than we had ever seen them, however, this just led to new adventure. New crevasses in the gorges appeared before us that before had been completely covered by water. We felt like explorers. It was incredible. The Upper Falls of Gooseberry Falls, the Cascade and Temperance River, new faces of old friends. Mother Nature revealing a different glance.

It was a lovely weekend. I do hope you too, will enjoy the North Shores of Lake Superior.

With being raised in Minnesota, after I had spent ten years on the west coast from ages 23 to 33, I always thought that I would miss the ocean forever until my DH showed me the North Shore four years ago. It is such a beautifully protected area. Everyone you meet cares about the environment so much and preserves it so.

p.s. Oh dear, I forgot to post about Betty's Pies, just north of Two Harbors. We stopped by there for breakfast on our way home. I had the most delicious Belgian Waffle, I think I have ever had. Crisp on the outside, light on the inside, perfect texture and flavor is beyond words. The maple syrup was superb! I will say that DH and I got bitten by the pie bug. We are not normally huge sweet eaters, more little bites here and there (I know, I know, hey we all have faults, lol). But while we ate breakfast, over a dozen people came in for take out pies, literally we lost count of the crowds coming in for these pies. So off we were taking a pie home with us. Sadly, it was so sweet that it was not enjoyable to us, however there are many I am sure that would love it.

Hi gomiki! How are you, doll? Yes, this was much better than the last one (no mice and much safer electrical, lol). The other two places we have stayed were Lutsen and Superior Shores (both were lovely) but it was just something we liked about Cove Point.

Thanks, I am glad enjoyed my mini-report, I hope you get to visit someday, Michigan is so lovely too.
Have a good day, gomiki!

The BEST and Number 1 is: Dave's Pizza in Virginia, Minnesota (218-741-DAVE). I have NEVER met it's equal anywhere. And I have ate some 'za'. My DH loves (loves, loves) good pizza. When I told him the importance of Dave's I think he didn't quite believe me. Lemme' just tell ya, lol, he is now a believer, LOL.

Coho in Tofte, MN gets my vote for Number two, a close second indeed, but nothing is like a Dave's.

Tiff, you made me envious and wish I was back home. I grew up on the North Shore and have lived in CA for many years but still get back there several times a year. We too love Cove Point Lodge but only stay a night as we don't find too much to do around there. Nice, nice place tho. Thanks for the report. Did you happen to try the new restaurant in Grand Marais - think it is called "The Crooked Spoon"? It was not completed when we were there this summer but have heard from friends who have been there since that it is good.

Tiff, WOW! I've never been to Minnesota, but want to go. I'm printing out this thread for later. (I'm in Florida vacationing now ... but this sounds wonderful for another year!) You make it all sound so enticing ...

It is a cold, grey rainy night in Pinnacle. I have been out all day and came in soaked to the skin. What a treat to pull up this wonderful report. Tiff,you are such a marvelous writer, you put me right there with you. When DH and I went I was torn between BlueFin Bay and Cove Point. Your description makes me sure I will stay at Cove Point on our next visit (and there will definitely be one). This area is one of the great treasures of our country. Bonnie, you must try it. It is a short flight to Minneapolis (a gorgeous city) from NC.
Thank you, Tiff, for such a delicious (I could crawl to the Angry Trout for another bite of that halibut!) report. Welcome home. I know Miss Sophie is glad you are back!

I will say that Cove Point Lodge is more at the beginning of the shore, just north of the Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls, so if you want to be closer to Grand Marais, then this might be too far away for you. It was an hour from Cove Point. It was sure nice on Sunday though to already have that hour under our belts for the drive home!

Cali ~ Actually we did see The Crooked Spoon Cafe on our walk down to the Drury Lane Bookstore, but did not stop in. It looked very cute though. How lucky for you to have grown up in such a lovely area. I am happy you are able to get back to visit often! There is nothing like it.

bonniebroad ~ It is indeed such a hidden gem, there are so many people in MN that don't venture that way. One of my favorite things, as I stated above, for those that are unable to hike for several miles, this is just the place (I have a bad knee so I know that which I speak of). The Cascade and Temperance Rivers are right off Highway 61 and you literally walk into the beauty almost immediately.

cmcfong ~ I don't know who is happier with being reunited, us or Sophie, lol! She is such a joy and I know that you know how difficult it is to leave them. But wander DH and I must do! Again, we can't thank you enough for the Angry Trout. They sure practice what they preach, don't they? If you were ever interested, they have a wonderful notebook/cookbook. I am almost positive you can purchase it from their website (I will check for you). It is a really nice story with recipes at the end. Thanks for your compliments about the report.

CAPH ~ I think you and your DH would enjoy it. And it can't be too far from you. You could possibly fly right into Duluth??? A nice little romantic getaway for you two.

One thing that cmcfong and Cali are aware but I should note for others...

This area is truly an outdoor area and when walking by the rivers or the falls, once should exercise extreme caution. There is really no barrier preventing a fall and could be very dangerous if you weren't paying attention. It always scares DH and I to death when we see children that are running free from their parents. So just be careful, ok?

Which reminds me of a lighthearted story...

After DH golfed one morning (I rode along as I often do in the cart) we were starving after being outside so we stopped for lunch at the Northwoods Cafe which was off the main road in Silver Bay by this nice little 9 hole course, anyway... there was this sign in the restaurant that made us laugh and I thought of all of you, it read:

hi again cmcfong ~ yes, sweetie, I just checked and it is available at their website. On the page of their site it also states that you can order it by calling there or emailing them (it lists their phone number and email address).

It really is a lovely book, I bought it during our last year's visit. Tells the entire story of how the cafe started, their love for the environment, everything organic, it is a great book. Did you know their electricity is soley solar powered? they are such a model for other establishments.

p.s. We looked for your otter family when we were there, hee, but they were nowhere to be found!

Hi Tiff - you are correct there are things around Cove Point Lodge, guess we just go so often and have seen them so much that we just don't go to them very often anymore. Cove Point is wonderful tho and we do always stop there for one night on our way up the shore when we could easily make it all in one day. Have you stayed in Duluth at all? We have found Duluth to be a fun place to visit with the lakewalk and all. Our last trip we stayed at South Pier Inn and really enjoyed the boats being so close by when they left or entered the Duluth Harbor. A big change in the whole area since I grwe up there. I always loved it but love it even more now and enjoy seeing it all times of the year. We had hoped to get back for the leaves this fall but business obilgations will send us to other states this fall so no leaves. Will have to go up to the local mtns here in S. CA to get a little fall. They aren't the same as N. MN but still pretty. Thanks for the trip reports. I love to see anything about my home area.

Grand Superior Lodge just north of Two
Harbors has a number of pet friendly log cabins. www.grandsuperior.com
All have fireplaces, decks and spa tubs. If you are looking further afield you could always google "pet friendly north shore mn" and see what comes up. There's a lot out there.